HVAC
2,040no HVAC permit on file
Of the 2,165 new owners in Chicago, 2,040 bought homes where no HVAC permit appears on file back to 2006. No HVAC permit on file does not mean the equipment is old.
- 2,040 no HVAC permit
- 125 with one
Hello, Chicago HVAC contractors.
Chicago HVAC permit history: latest permit date or none since 2006
Chicago: 368 new owners last week
new owners last week
Most HVAC work done for pay in Chicago appears to require the general contractor license. A subcontractor working under a licensed general contractor's supervision needs none.
Chicago HVAC permit records and what they miss
Chicago puts no building permit requirement on repairing or replacing an air conditioner, furnace or boiler in kind inside a residential building of four stories or fewer.
A same-kind swap may leave no HVAC permit on file, and that absence does not mean the equipment is old.
The history on Chicago rows runs back to
2006.
No HVAC permit on file
Chicago building records; new owners, September 28 to November 6, 2026
Chicago licenses and HVAC work
The city's list of trade licenses and the Buildings department list of professionals it licenses name no HVAC, heating, air conditioning, refrigeration or mechanical license. The city code has chapters titled for boiler and pressure vessel repairers and for stationary engineers. The one license on the trade-license lists for boiler work licenses people who use, manage or operate larger boilers.
General contractor license
The license is required for most building construction, alteration and repair work done for pay. Where a general contractor hires subcontractors, painting and HVAC are work a subcontractor can do without holding a specialty license. A business that a property owner hires directly, not working under a general contractor's supervision, must hold its own license.
Home Repair license
The Home Repair business license covers businesses that fix, replace or improve homes, and its holders may not pull building permits, which take a general contractor license instead. HVAC does not appear on its page.
A Home Repair licensee must print its name and license number on contracts and estimates, in its advertisements and on its vehicles, and a general contractor doing residential work must follow the same consumer rules.
Cost to mail Chicago new owners
The table uses the Local plan at $49 a month, ten typical Chicago ZIP codes and Lob's free-plan postcard.
| Local plan, per month | $49 |
|---|---|
| New owners a month, ten typical Chicago ZIPs | 251 |
| List cost per new owner | $0.20 |
| Lob's smallest First-Class postcard, per piece | $0.905 |
| List plus postcard, per new owner | $1.10 |
| Monthly total, list and postcards | $276 |
Peoples Gas furnace rebates
Amounts change.
City of Chicago
Peoples Gas pays homeowners $200 or $225 for a natural gas furnace, as listed in 2026, depending on the efficiency rating.
Eligible properties include single-family homes, two-flats and individually metered condos or townhomes. The old equipment must be removed.
Chicago mailings in fall can mention Peoples Gas rebates for owners considering heating upgrades.
Chicago ZIP codes with the most new homeowners, 12-month total
Busiest Chicago ZIPs
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